CN1946869A

CN1946869A - Vacuum device where power supply mechanism is mounted and power supply method

Info

Publication number: CN1946869A
Application number: CNA2005800126691A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 泷本昌行; 小室弘之; 布施丰; 阿部辰弥; 青名端一仁
Original assignee: Showa Shinku Co Ltd
Current assignee: Showa Shinku Co Ltd
Priority date: 2004-07-12
Filing date: 2005-01-24
Publication date: 2007-04-11
Anticipated expiration: 2025-01-24
Also published as: US7806985B2; KR20070030186A; WO2006006263A1; US20070215047A1; JP4022627B2; KR100855173B1; JP2006031952A; CN1946869B

Abstract

A contact condition between a rotary electrode placed in a vacuum tank and a power supply mechanism for supplying power by being in contact with the rotary electrode is improved. A vacuum device comprising a vacuum tank, a rotary electrode placed in the vacuum tank in an electrically insulated state, and a power supply mechanism for supplying power by being in contact with the rotary electrode, wherein the rotary electrode has an annular shape, rotates horizontally relative to the central axis of the annular shape, the power supply mechanism has an electrode member, and the electrode member and the rotary electrode are in contact with each other at at least one contact surface.

Description

Vacuum device for mounting power supply apparatus and power supply method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a power supply device for an apparatus for supplying electric power to a rotating body in a vacuum chamber, and more particularly, to a power supply device for an apparatus for supplying radio frequency power to a substrate dome on which a deposition substrate is mounted, the substrate dome being rotatably arranged.

Background

In the vacuum deposition method, a method of ionizing a gas introduced in a vacuum chamber to generate positive ions, thereby pressing evaporated molecules toward a substrate, thereby forming a thin film which is strong in coherence and dense is generally called ion assisted deposition (hereinafter abbreviated as "IAD").

Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of an optical thin film vacuum deposition apparatus based on a direct application system of rf voltage using the IAD method. The formation of a thin film using the system shown in this figure is outlined below.

In the vacuum chamber 30, a deposition substrate 23, a substrate dome on which the deposition substrate 23 is mounted, a substrate dome rotating mechanism 24, a substrate heater 33, a crucible 35 for heating the deposition substrate 23, a deposition material 34, a filling material, an electron gun 36 for heating the deposition material 34 to an evaporation temperature, a shutter 37 for closing when deposition is completed to protect the deposition material, an air inlet for introducing gas into the vacuum chamber, a power supply device 22 for applying a radio frequency voltage across the substrate dome 22 that is rotating, and a neutralizer 38 for emitting electrons are arranged.

When deposition is performed by the apparatus in the same figure, the deposition substrate 23 is first attached to the substrate dome 22 and the crucible 35 is filled with the deposition material 34. Air is exhausted from the vacuum chamber 30 through an exhaust system (not shown), and thereafter, the substrate dome 22 is rotated by the substrate dome rotating device 24 and the deposition substrate 23 is heated under the substrate heater 33. When the degree of vacuum and the temperature of the substrate reach target values, the deposition material 34 is irradiated with the electron beam from the electron gun 36 so as to increase its temperature to the vapor temperature. At the same time, gas is left in the vacuum chamber through the gas inlet 31, and electrons are emitted from the neutralizer 38. Using the power supply device 32, a radio frequency voltage is applied across the substrate dome 22 to ionize the gas introduced from the gas inlet 31, thereby generating plasma in the vacuum chamber 30. The shutter 37 is opened to eject the deposition material 34 into the vacuum chamber and deposit on the deposition substrate 23 with the aid of ions, thereby forming a dense thin film. When the thickness of the thin film reaches a target value, the shutter 37 is closed, and then, the electron gun 36, the substrate heater 33, the power supply device 32, the gas introduction, and the neutralizer 38 are stopped. After cooling, air is introduced into the vacuum chamber, and then, the deposition substrate 23 on which the thin film is formed can be taken out.

For example, the above vacuum deposition apparatus is disclosed in patent document 1.

Fig. 5(b) shows a schematic plan view of the power supply device 32 shown in fig. 4. FIG. 5(a) is a schematic sectional view taken along the line Z-Z' in FIG. 5 (b). The plan view shown in fig. 5(b) illustrates the power supply device 32 arranged in the vacuum chamber when viewed from the bottom plate toward the top plate. Fig. 6 shows a detailed schematic diagram of the power supply device 32 and its peripheral devices. Hereinafter, with reference to fig. 5 and 6, a conventional power supply device 32 will be described.

The power supply device 32 is composed of a disk-shaped base 40 which supplies radio frequency power from a radio frequency power supply (not shown) installed outside the vacuum chamber 30 through a steel plate 28, contacts 41 which are electrodes for connecting the rotating body to the power supply, a contact base 42 for fixing and arranging the contacts 41, two pins 43 which are fixed to and arranged on the base for holding the contact base, a power supply sheet 44 which helps supply the radio frequency power from the base 40 to the contact base 42, and two springs 45 arranged between the base 40 and the contact base 42. The contact 41, the contact base 42, the pin 43, the spring 45 and the power supply sheet 44 form one contact unit. A plurality of contact units are arranged on the base 40. For example, four contact units are mounted on one device having a substrate dome diameter of about Φ 700 to 1200.

The rotating body composed of the substrate dome 22, the dome stopper 51, the dome adaptor 50 and the power supply board 52 is electrically insulated from the vacuum chamber 30 and is rotatably arranged inside the vacuum chamber 30 and integrally rotates. A power strip 52 is secured to and aligned with the dome adaptor 50 and the power device 32 is aligned with the power strip 52. Fig. 8 schematically shows a state of contacting the contact 41 of the power supply board 52. This figure shows the power panel 52 as viewed from the ceiling to the floor in the vacuum chamber. Four contact units are arranged and only the contact 41 is shown. The power supply plate 52 is disk-shaped and has a concentric circular hole at its center. The contacts 41 of each unit are connected in such a manner that the longitudinal directions are radially arranged from the rotation center of the power supply board 52.

The power supply device 32 is arranged on the ceiling of the vacuum chamber and electrically insulated from the vacuum chamber by a porcelain insulator 27. The contact 41 as an electrode touches the power supply board 52 to apply a radio frequency voltage across the rotating body. Since the rotating body is arranged in the vacuum chamber by using an insulator or the like, electric power is supplied only to the rotating body contacting the power supply device. Thus, applying a radio frequency voltage across the substrate dome 22 as a rotating body allows deposition using the IAD method.

The two pins 43 are inserted into two through holes 46 provided in the contact base 42. The contact base 42 and the contacts 41 fixed thereto are held movably along the pins 43. The springs 45 are arranged around the periphery of the pins 43 and the spring force of the springs 45 provides the contact 41 with a force that pushes the power supply board 52 through the contact base 42. The contact 41 has an arc shape in cross section, and the arc curved surface thereof contacts the power supply plate 52. The contact 41 is made of a material such as phosphor bronze and copper.

When the contact has been worn due to rotation, fixing the contact 41 to the base 40 may destabilize the contact between the contact 41 and the power supply plate 52, fail to stably supply the rf power to the substrate dome 22, resulting in discharge failure. The substrate dome 22 is removed each time the deposition is completed, so that a small error in distance is generated between the power supply board 52 and the susceptor 40 each time the substrate dome 22 is fixed. For this reason, in the conventional power supply device, the pin 43 is perpendicularly provided to the plane of the power supply board 52 so as to movably hold the contact base 42 along the pin 43, thereby allowing the contact 41 to be perpendicularly pushed onto the plane of the power supply board 52.

Patent document 1: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2001-73136.

The contact has the problems that the traditional contact is small in area of contacting with the rotating body and linearly contacting with the power supply board, and abrasion of the contact is accelerated. This is because the conventional power supply board is subjected to a soft nitriding process to harden the surface thereof, increasing the slip resistance of the power supply board. The wear of the contact comes from contact with the power supply board, causing a problem that arc discharge is generated to significantly wipe off the tip of the contact portion. In addition to the above, there is another problem that the soft-nitriding process tends to increase the resistance. High slip resistance roughens the power strip due to wear, increasing the resistance used to reduce power efficiency.

The conventional contact comes into linear contact with the rotating body according to the shape, so that the contact area inevitably becomes small and the impedance is increased. Further, there is another problem that the wear of the contact portion changes the contact area, resulting in a change in resistance between new and worn contacts.

Further, the conventional contact unit reciprocates along two pins arranged vertically with respect to a power supply board as a rotating body, which causes an operation failure. The external force applied to the contacts in the conventional device is described with reference to fig. 7. The contact 41 is subjected to its own weight and a force f4 equal to the force applied from the contact 41 to the power supply board 52 by the elastic force of the spring. In addition, the contact 41 is subjected to a force f5 in the direction of rotation (i.e., the direction indicated by the arrow "C" in the drawing) from the power supply board 52 by the rotation of the substrate dome 22. The contact 41 is subjected to the resultant force f6 consisting of the sum of the forces f4 and f5, however, in the conventional apparatus, the resultant force f6 applied to the contact 41 is not uniform in the direction of movement of the contact 41 (i.e., the direction of the arrow "d" shown in the drawing), which results in an operation failure. In the conventional device, the contacts 41 are arranged in such a manner that the longitudinal directions thereof are arranged radially with respect to the rotational center, so that the force f5 in the rotational direction differs depending on the position where the contacts 41 contact the power board 52. Fig. 8 schematically shows the direction and magnitude of force applied to each point of the conventional contact 41. Since the force f5 in the direction of rotation (i.e., in the direction of arrow "e" shown in the figure) is proportional to the speed. The magnitude of the force changes from the center of lower velocity (f 5') to the periphery of higher velocity (f5 "), which creates contact torsion (represented by arrow" f "in the figure).

In addition, small springs are thermally sensitive so as to tend to lose elasticity, impeding smooth vertical motion.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum apparatus characterized by comprising: a vacuum chamber, a rotating electrode arranged within the vacuum chamber and electrically insulated from the vacuum chamber, and a power supply device contacting the rotating electrode so as to supply electric power thereto, wherein the rotating electrode has a ring shape and rotates horizontally with respect to a central axis of the ring shape, and the power supply device is composed of an electrode member, and the electrode member and the rotating electrode contact each other at least one contact surface. Further, the electrode member has a shape in which a cross-sectional area occupied in a plane at an equal distance from the contact surface is constant.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum apparatus characterized by comprising a vacuum chamber, a rotary electrode arranged in the vacuum chamber and electrically insulated from the vacuum chamber, and a power supply device for supplying electric power through a contact portion on the rotary electrode; wherein the rotary electrode has a ring shape and rotates horizontally with respect to a central axis of the ring shape, and the power supply means is composed of an electrode member, and the electrode member is movable to a direction substantially coinciding with a direction of a force applied by the rotary electrode.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum apparatus characterized by comprising a vacuum chamber, a rotary electrode arranged in the vacuum chamber and electrically insulated from the vacuum chamber, and a power supply device contacting the rotary electrode to supply electric power thereto; wherein the rotary electrode has a cylindrical shape and rotates horizontally with respect to a central axis of the cylindrical shape, and the power supply device is composed of an electrode member, and the electrode member and the rotary electrode are in contact with each other at least one contact portion, and the contact portion is located at least on a side surface of the rotary electrode. Further, the electrode member is movable to an insertion direction between a direction in which the electrode member is placed, which is perpendicular to the contact portion, and a direction in which the rotary electrode is rotated, which is tangential to the contact portion, and a direction symmetrical to the insertion direction.

In the second and third aspects of the present invention, the electrode member is supported by a fulcrum located at any point on a straight line substantially perpendicular to the direction of the force or resultant force and passing through a point on the electrode member, and the electrode member is movable about the fulcrum.

In the first to third aspects of the present invention, the power supply device further has an electrode base that fixes the electrode member, a unit base that supports the electrode base, and a pin that fastens the electrode member base to the unit base, and the electrode member base and the electrode can be moved using the pin as a fulcrum. Furthermore, the contact portion or contact surface is located in the inner side of the rotary electrode. Further, the vacuum apparatus has at least one spring for pressing the electrode member toward the rotary electrode. The rotating electrode consists of a rotating cylinder having a substrate dome on which the deposition substrate is mounted, and a contact portion or contact face. Further, the power supply device further has a spring base that fixes the spring to the base unit, a power supply thin plate that supplies electric power from the unit base to the electrode, a countersunk screw that fastens the electrode to the electrode base with the power supply thin plate sandwiched therebetween, and a power supply thin plate holder that fixes the power supply thin plate to the spring base.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of supplying electric power in a power supply device composed of an electrode member supplying electric power to a ring-shaped rotating electrode arranged in and electrically insulated from a vacuum chamber, the method being characterized by comprising: rotating the rotating electrode horizontally with respect to a central axis of the annular shape; bringing the electrode member and the rotary electrode into surface contact with each other at least one contact surface; and to keep the area of the contact surface constant.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of supplying electric power in a power supply device composed of an electrode member supplying electric power to a ring-shaped rotating electrode arranged in and electrically insulated from a vacuum chamber, the method being characterized by comprising: rotating the rotating electrode horizontally with respect to a central axis of the annular shape; bringing the electrode member and the rotary electrode into surface contact with each other at least one contact surface; and moving the electrode member to a direction substantially coinciding with the direction of the force exerted by the rotating electrode.

In the above fourth or fifth aspect, the rotating electrode is composed of a power supply body electrically connected to the substrate dome on which the deposition substrate is mounted and the power supply device.

The present invention allows stable electric power to be supplied to the rotating body and provides good maintainability of the power supply apparatus.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power supply apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a power supply device and peripheral devices according to the present invention;

fig. 3 is a diagram for describing an external force applied to a power supply device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a vacuum apparatus;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional power supply device;

fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a conventional power supply device and its peripheral devices:

fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a conventional power supply apparatus; and

fig. 8 shows a schematic plan view of a conventional power supply device.

Description of the symbols

1 Power supply device

2 contact

3 contact base

4 spring base

5 spring

6 power supply sheet

7 pin

8 countersunk head screw

9 unit base

10 power supply thin plate holder

11 brake part

12 fixed hole

13 through hole

20 power supply ring

21 dome adapter

22 substrate dome

23 deposition substrate

24 rotating device

25 porcelain insulator

26 base

27 porcelain insulator

28 Steel plate

30 vacuum chamber

31 air inlet

32 power supply device

33 substrate heater

34 deposition of material

35 crucible

36 electron gun

37 shutter

38 neutralizer

40 base

41 contact

42 contact base

43 pin

44 power supply sheet

45 spring

46 through hole

50 dome adaptor

51 dome brake

52 power panel

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, an embodiment of a power supply device related to the present invention is described. The same components as those of the conventional art are given the same reference characters so that the repetitive description thereof will be omitted. Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a power supply device, and fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the power supply device and peripheral devices thereof. The apparatus shown in figures 1 and 2 may be mounted on a vacuum apparatus such as that shown in figure 4.

The power supply device 1 shown in fig. 1 is composed of a unit base 9, contacts 2 for contacting electrodes of a rotating body to supply electric power thereto, spring bases 4 fixed to and arranged on the unit base 9 and having recesses, pins 7 for fixing the contact bases 3 to the unit base 9, springs 5 fixed to the spring bases 4 and the recesses of the contact bases 3, a power supply sheet 6 for supplying electric power from the unit base 9 to the contacts 2, countersunk screws 8 for fixing the contacts 1 to the contact bases 3 with one end of the power supply sheet 6 sandwiched therebetween, and a power supply sheet holder 10 for fixing the power supply sheet 6 to the spring bases 4 with the other end of the power supply sheet 6 sandwiched between the holder and the spring bases. Fig. 1(a) shows a schematic side view. Fig. 1(b) shows a schematic plan view of the power supply device 1 mounted and arranged in the vacuum chamber when viewed from the bottom plate to the top plate. The power supply apparatus 1 shown in fig. 1 represents one unit. Two contact units can be connected to a device having a substrate dome diameter of e.g. 700 to 1200.

The power ring 20, the dome adaptor 21 and the substrate dome 22 shown in fig. 2 comprise a rotating body and are arranged within and electrically insulated from a vacuum chamber. Specifically, the power ring 20 is fixed to the rotating device 24 via a porcelain insulator 25, and the dome adaptor 21 and the substrate dome 22 are connected and fixed to the power ring 20 and the dome adaptor 21, respectively. In the present embodiment, the above-described constituent elements may be fastened by screws so as to rotate the elements as a whole, because the rotating body is separately constructed in consideration of maintainability. Electric power is supplied from the power supply device 1 to the rotating body electrically insulated from the peripheral devices. A deposition substrate 23 is mounted on the substrate dome 22, and radio frequency power is supplied from the power supply device 1 to the substrate dome 22 to deposit a dense thin film using the IAD method. This is the same as the conventional method.

The power supply device 1 is connected to the base 26, and the base 26 is fixed and arranged in the vacuum chamber and electrically insulated therefrom. In the present embodiment, the unit base 9 is fixed to the lower portion of the base 26 through the fixing hole 12, and the base 26 is fixed and arranged on the ceiling of the vacuum chamber via a porcelain insulator 27, thereby allowing each unit to be removed at the time of maintenance. Rf power applied to the base 26 through the steel plate 28 connected to an rf power supply (not shown) installed outside the vacuum chamber is supplied to the power ring 20 through the unit base 9, the spring base 4, the power supply thin plate 6, and the contacts 2, and then applied to the substrate dome 22 through the dome adaptor 21. In fig. 2, parts to which Radio Frequency (RF) is applied in a vacuum chamber are colored and covered with porcelain insulators. The elements that make up the path for applying the RF power are preferably made of a highly conductive material such as copper.

Bringing the contact 2 of the power supply device 1 into contact with the rotating power ring 20 supplies electric power from the power supply device 1 to the rotating body. The power ring 20 is cylindrical, and the contacts 2 contact the inner wall surface of the cylinder. In the present embodiment, the power ring 20 uses a conventional dome stopper as a power supply component, thereby reducing the number of components. The contact 2 is characterized in that it is shaped to be in surface contact with the power ring 20, thereby increasing the contact area for a stable power supply. In the present embodiment, using one face of a rectangular parallelepiped as a curved face having a curvature equal to that of the curved face of the power supply ring 20 and bringing the curved face into contact with the power supply ring 20 allows the contact area to be 13 times as wide as that of the conventional device shown in fig. 5 at the start of use of a new contact. This solves the problem that the contact area of the conventional contact into the line contact and the contact formed by the ball into the point contact is too small to increase the impedance, or the problem that the tip volume of the contact is too small to rapidly wear the contact, thereby enabling stable supply of electric power, improving the stability of discharge, and reducing the load of the power supply.

The above-described shape of the contact 2 does not change the contact area even when the surface thereof is worn, and the use will not change the impedance so as to allow stable supply of electric power. The shape of the contact 2 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but may be a shape in which a surface in the direction of the normal to the contact surface of the rotating body and at the same distance from the contact surface is always the same in area.

Bringing the contact 2 into contact with the wall surface of the cylindrical power supply ring 20 will not generate twisting of the contact 2, allowing reduction of operation failure, unlike the conventional art. This is because the force in the rotational direction applied to the contact 2 by the power ring 20 is equal in the contact surface where the power ring 20 contacts the contact 2. The contact surface between the rotating body supplying power and the contact 2 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but may be arranged on a circle concentric with the central axis of the rotating body.

The use of phosphor bronze as the material for the contact 2 allows the contact 2 to become highly heat-resistant and come into surface contact with the power supply ring 20 because its projection is wiped off in a short time even if the shape of the contact 2 does not coincide with the shape of the power supply ring 20 at the start of use of a new contact. Further, using a material made of stainless steel subjected to electroless nickel or electroless nickel surface treatment by Teflon (registered trademark) allows maintaining the conductivity to a high level and reducing the resistance. Vacuum nitriding may be used to increase surface hardness. The use of a material made of stainless steel subjected to surface treatment with Teflon (registered trademark) electroless nickel or electroless nickel for the power ring 20 also serves to reduce the electric resistance and the slip resistance and to improve the heat resistance and the thermal abrasion resistance. In the present embodiment, stainless steel subjected to vacuum oxidation treatment is used for the power supply ring 20 which is larger and expensive than the contact 2 in order to increase the wear resistance, and phosphor bronze is used for the contact 2 in order to make it a consumable.

The recessed parts of the spring base 4 and the contact base 3 may be wells having such a shape as to allow the spring 5 to fit therein, but preferably have a shape equal to the spring 5. The spring base 4 and the contact base 3 are disposed at positions where the contacts 2 contact the power supply ring 20 and the recesses face each other. FIG. 1(e) is a schematic sectional view taken along the line Y-Y' shown in FIG. 1 (b). The spring base 4 is fixed to the unit base 9 by screws or the like and the contact base 3 is connected to the unit base 9 with a degree of freedom. Specifically, through holes 13 are formed in the contact base 3 and the pins 7 are inserted therein to connect the contact base 3 to the unit base 9, thereby allowing the contact base 3 to rotate using the pins 7 as fulcrums. FIG. 1(d) shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the line X-X' shown in FIG. 1 (b). It may be desirable to bake or subject the molybdenum disulfide onto the pins 7 to other surface treatments in order to reduce friction. The spring 5 is placed in the recess by contracting and elastically processing the spring so as to press the contact 2 against the power supply ring 20.

The external force applied to the contact 2 is described with reference to fig. 3.

Since the contact 2 is pressed against the power ring 20 by the spring 5, the contact 2 is subjected to a force f1 by the power ring 20 in the direction of pushing back the contact 2. On the other hand, when the substrate dome 2 starts to rotate, the contact 2 is subjected to a force f2 in the direction of rotation or the direction indicated by the arrow "a" in the figure by the power ring 20. This means that the contact 2 is subjected to a resultant force f3 consisting of the combination of forces f1 and f 2. At this time, in the present embodiment, the movable direction of the contact 2 or the direction indicated by the arrow "b" in the drawing substantially coincides with the direction of the resultant force f3, ensuring a stable rotational operation at all times. Since the resultant force f3 applied to the contact 2 varies with the rotational speed and the elastic force of the spring 5, the resultant force f3 applied to the contact 2 is predetermined so that the contact 2 can move in a direction equal to the resultant force f3, depending on the desired rotational speed and others. In the present embodiment, the contact 2 is configured to reciprocate on an arc using the pin 7 as a fulcrum, so that the pin 7 can be located on a line passing through a surface contacting the power supply ring 20 and perpendicular to the direction of the resultant force f 3.

Using the pins 7 as fulcrums, moving the contact base 3 in an arc may cause the spring 5 to be inserted into the recess to be punched out unless the range of motion is properly limited. In the present embodiment, the contact base 3 is constituted by an L-shape and is configured to move within a prescribed angle at which one end of the L-shape collides with the spring base 4. The contact base 3 and the spring base 4 may be suitably shaped to move within a desired angle. For example, the pin may be provided separately as a stopper member for limiting the movement of the contact base 3 to the movement range. In the present embodiment, the stopper part 11 is formed with the contact base 3 and the spring base 4 for reducing the number of parts. Fig. 1(c) shows a state in which the contact is blocked by the stopper member.

In this embodiment, the contact 2 is moved in a manner different from the conventional one, allowing the use of a material with a larger diameter and a larger wire diameter for the spring 5. This allows suppression of reduction in pressing force due to contraction of the spring due to heat. Although the pressing force is increased by the spring 5, since the contact 2 and the power ring 20 are subjected to surface treatment for reducing the sliding resistance, the wear is reduced. This allows electrical power to be supplied while rotating the substrate dome 22 at high speed.

The maintenance cycle of the contact unit can be significantly extended compared to conventional devices, since each part is made thick enough, the spring 5 diameter is larger, the optimum material and surface treatment can be chosen, and the available volume of the contact 2 is larger.

Furthermore, as shown in the figure, the number of consumable parts is substantially reduced, showing a great advantage in price.

Furthermore, as far as the power supply performance is concerned, the contact face contact and the strong pressing force of the spring allow the impedance to be maintained at a lower value. The wear of the contact 2 will not change the contact area so that the impedance is not changed when the contact is used.

Although in the above described embodiments the power supply means is used to supply RF power to the vacuum apparatus, the means may be used to supply dc power. Other materials and surface treatments may be used for the contact and the power supply ring other than the above as long as their characteristics are the same.

Further, although the contact 2 contacts the inner side of the power supply ring 20 in the present embodiment, the contact 2 may be configured to contact the outer side thereof. In addition, although in the present embodiment, bringing the contact 2 into surface contact with the power supply ring 20, even linear or point contact can prevent the spring 5 from being damaged as long as the contact is brought into contact with the side surface of the power supply ring 20 so that torsion applied to the contact is not generated, and the movable direction of the contact is determined as described above.

In the above, a dome for supplying electrical power to a substrate rotatably arranged within a vacuum apparatus is described. However, the power supply device according to the present invention is suitable for supplying electric power to the rotating electrodes arranged in the vacuum chamber as well as the above-described embodiments. When a voltage is applied across the rotating deposition material in the deposition method using spraying, for example, electric power can be applied by a power supply device according to the present invention having a container loaded with the deposition material serving as a rotating electrode, or the like.

Claims

1. A vacuum apparatus characterized by comprising:

a vacuum chamber;

a rotary electrode arranged within the vacuum chamber and electrically insulated from the vacuum chamber; and

a power supply device contacting the rotating electrode to supply electric power thereto;

wherein the rotating electrode has a ring shape and rotates horizontally with respect to a central axis of the ring shape, an

The power supply device is composed of an electrode member, and the electrode member and the rotary electrode are in contact with each other at least one contact surface.

2. The vacuum apparatus of claim 1,

the electrode member has a shape in which a cross-sectional area obtained in a plane at an equal distance from the contact surface is constant.

3. A vacuum apparatus characterized by comprising:

a vacuum chamber;

a power supply device for supplying electric power through the contact part on the rotary electrode; wherein,

the rotating electrode has a ring shape and rotates horizontally with respect to a central axis of the ring shape, an

The power supply means is composed of an electrode member, and the electrode member is movable to a direction substantially coinciding with a direction of a force applied by the rotary electrode.

4. A vacuum apparatus characterized by comprising:

a vacuum chamber;

wherein the rotating electrode has a cylindrical shape and rotates horizontally with respect to a central axis of the cylindrical shape, an

The power supply device is composed of an electrode member, and the electrode member and the rotary electrode are in contact with each other at least one contact portion, and the contact portion is located at least on a side surface of the rotary electrode.

5. The vacuum apparatus of claim 4,

the electrode member is movable to an insertion direction between a direction in which the electrode member is placed, which is perpendicular to the contact portion, and a direction in which the rotary electrode is rotated, which is tangential to the contact portion, and a direction symmetrical to the insertion direction.

6. The vacuum apparatus of claim 5,

the electrode member is movable to a resultant force direction composed of forces perpendicular and tangential to the contact portion, a direction in which a force is applied by the rotary electrode, and a direction symmetrical to the resultant force direction.

7. The vacuum apparatus of claim 3, 5 or 6,

the electrode member is supported by a fulcrum,

the fulcrum is located at any point on a line substantially perpendicular to the direction of the force or resultant force and passes through a point on the electrode member, and

the electrode member is movable about the fulcrum.

8. The vacuum apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the power supply device further has an electrode base fixing the electrode member, a unit base supporting the electrode base, and pins fastening the electrode member base to the unit base, and

the electrode member base and the electrode may be movable using the pin as a fulcrum.

9. The vacuum apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the contact portion or contact surface is located in the inner side of the rotary electrode.

10. The vacuum apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising at least one spring for urging said electrode member toward said rotatable electrode.

11. A vacuum apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said rotary electrode is composed of a rotary cylinder having a substrate dome on which a deposition substrate is mounted and a contact portion or contact face.

12. The vacuum apparatus according to claim 10 or 11,

the power supply device further has:

a spring base having the spring fixed to the base unit;

a power supply sheet supplying electric power from the unit base to the electrodes;

a countersunk screw for fastening the electrode to the electrode base with the power supply thin plate interposed therebetween; and

a power supply sheet holder fixing the power supply sheet to the spring base.

13. A method of supplying electric power in a power supply device composed of an electrode member that supplies electric power to a ring-shaped rotating electrode arranged in and electrically insulated from a vacuum chamber, the method characterized by comprising:

rotating the rotating electrode horizontally with respect to a central axis of the annular shape;

bringing the electrode member and the rotating electrode into surface contact with each other at least one contact surface; and

the area of the contact surface is kept constant.

14. A method of supplying electric power in a power supply device composed of an electrode member that supplies electric power to a ring-shaped rotating electrode arranged in and electrically insulated from a vacuum chamber, the method characterized by comprising:

the electrode member is made movable to a direction substantially coinciding with the direction of the force exerted by the rotating electrode.

15. The method of providing electrical power of claim 13 or 14,

the rotating electrode is composed of a substrate dome electrically connected to a deposition substrate mounted thereon and a power supply body of the power supply device.